I don't think they will. I expect New York to play at an equal or slightly superior win-pace than the Celtics for the rest of the season.

Making up 5 games would be a tall task.

Well the Knicks have been a ~.500 team since their hot start. Now that their defense has returned to normal and they aren't drilling threes at a record clip, they are beatable. If they continue to play .500-.600 ball, and we finish the season winning .600-.700 of our games, things can get interesting.

But I personally think I'd like the Heat earlier if possible. Maybe not the 1/8 matchup, because that would involve a lot of losing from here on out. Getting them earlier rather than ECF gives them less chance to get their plays together and energy up if they plan to coast during the season. Plus, the Knicks live-and-die-by-the-three style will not last three rounds. Longer you wait to play them, less likely you even have to. That would leave only Chicago as a real threat and Indy as a considerable one. Brooklyn will probably finish with a low seed and get dismissed early.